mottle

American  

[mot-l] / ˈmɒt l /

verb (used with object)

mottled, mottling

1. to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade.

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noun

1. a diversifying spot or blotch of color.

2. mottled coloring or pattern.

mottle British  

/ ˈmɒtəl /

verb

1. (tr) to colour with streaks or blotches of different shades

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noun

1. a mottled appearance, as of the surface of marble

2. one streak or blotch of colour in a mottled surface

Other Word Forms

• mottlement noun
• mottler noun

Etymology

Origin of mottle

First recorded in 1670–80; probably back formation from motley

Explanation

To mottle is to speckle or dapple with dots. An artist might mottle a canvas by dripping splotches of paint on it. You can also use mottle as a noun, for a patchy arrangement of color or light: "The dog's fur was a mottle of brown and black." The adjective mottled is more common than mottle for describing things marked with spots or blotches, and both words come from motley, which today means "mismatched" but was originally defined as "multicolored."

Example Sentences

On Jan. 2, nurses reported that the patient’s breathing was shallower, with her toes beginning to mottle as her heart stopped pumping blood that far down.

From Washington Times • Feb. 3, 2023

Then there was the salt: sprinkled generously enough to mottle the fry’s golden skin and amplify the earthy flavors trapped inside.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2022

The online class from 12:30-2:15 p.m. will cover identification of blossom brown rot, bacterial canker, cherry mottle leaf, shothole, cherry bark tortrix and tent caterpillar.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2021

We meet patients sodden with uncontrollable mood swings, watch their faces mottle with determination as they fight to recall the three words—blue, monkey, table—we asked them to remember just minutes ago.

From Scientific American • Jan. 30, 2020

A livid tint began to mottle his face.

From The History of a Crime The Testimony of an Eye-Witness by Hugo, Victor